Never tell me the odds!

That's what a asteroid dodging Han Solo yelled in The Empire Strikes Back.

I'm not facing an asteroid field - but I am trying to get my book published. And I recently discovered the website of literary agent Miss Snark who dispenses her wisdom through a frequently updated blog filled with fascinating questions and answers. If you have any interest in writing and getting published, she is essential reading.

One quote that was of particular interest to me was this:

"Publishing in general is competitive. I don't think there are any reliable statistics on query letters versus published books. I know we take on less than one in five hundred."

So that means I have a 1 in 500 chance of being published by the editor I sent Adventure Eddy off to. Wow! Tough odds.

But Miss Snarky also said that you should NEVER give up on trying to get your book published until you've received 100 rejections. I don't know if that's just masochism or what Giff Gifford called "the numbers game." But it does shorten the odds, in theory, to one in five.